It's hard not to love what Jaylin Williams brings to the court. With a sunny disposition and a smile that makes every grandma and auntie within a 10-mile radius want to pinch his cheeks, Williams has slowly gained notoriety following the NBA championship despite only playing 14 minutes in the Thunder's final series against the Indiana Pacers. It's no wonder why he's up for teammate of the year. And on Tuesday, he showed demonstrated the reason why.
Jaylin Williams owned the spotlight during Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Championship celebrations
During the Thunder's celebration in Oklahoma City, the team took the stage with the Larry O'Brien Trophy in hand with the OKC mayor, David Holt. After a few minutes, Holt turned the mic over to the former Hog for what became an epic viral moment for the young man.
Turning his palms up in surprise, Williams took to the podium and instantly became the hypeman that the locker room has grown to love.
"Hey man, we champs!" said Williams, smiling from ear to ear.
Then Williams engaged in a call-and-response interaction with the crowd really fired up the team and fans. He said, "They said we was too young. (what??). They said Oklahoma shouldn't have a team. (what??). But guess what? (What?)"
"We the f—n champs!"
Jaylin Williams stole the show on stage during OKC’s championship parade. Rallied the crowd like Steve Austin.
— Joel Lorenzi (@JoelXLorenzi) June 24, 2025
“They said we was too young (WHAT??). They said Oklahoma shouldn’t have a team (WHAT??). But guess what? (WHAT??)
“We the f—n champs!” pic.twitter.com/onLguhAW0X
The Thunder's team was behind him, and the crowd went nuts as Mayor Holt held his face in his hands in disbelief. Superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's reaction on Williams' left was especially hilarious.
That's not the only proof that Williams is becoming the face of the Thunder organization. After the OKC finished game 7, the NBA official X account posted photos of each Thunder player with the trophy. And despite not playing a single second in the match, Williams' post went viral. The sheer number of likes, comments, and reposts dwarf the rest of the team's posts.
Drafted 34th overall out of Arkansas in 2022 and now NBA CHAMPION in Year 3... Jaylin Williams! pic.twitter.com/OKkiVpX7Kz
— NBA (@NBA) June 23, 2025